


How's About a Dance

by mldrgrl



Series: Little Will Universe [6]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Dancing, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Kidfic, MSR
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 08:17:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13830162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mldrgrl/pseuds/mldrgrl
Summary: A request for William learning how to dance set in the Little Will Universe





	How's About a Dance

One of the most exasperating ways that Will was like his mother, Mulder decided, was his habit of not saying anything when there was a lot to say.  Like Scully, he had this habit of evading topics and trying to make his poor father guess at what he was thinking.  But, after eleven years of being the kid’s father, and almost twenty at being Scully’s partner, he’d finally picked up a few tricks.

 

Number one, neither of them could stand being ignored.  When they said “I’m fine,” needling or arguing about it got him nowhere.  Shrugging his shoulders and feigning disinterest could open the floodgates.

 

Number two, do not ask direct questions.  Don’t ever ask what’s wrong, don’t ever ask for more information.  Wait for them to start, pepper the conversation with things like “oh?” or “yeah?”  Simple, one-word responses kept things going.

 

Number three, and this one was tricky, do not offer advice without being asked.  Nothing could shut down a conversation faster than a well-meaning “maybe you should…”

 

And so, Mulder was pretty well-prepared when Will came poking around in his office, pretending to quietly browse the books on the shelves while casting less-than-furtive glances in his dad’s direction.  Mulder continued working on his article and ignored his son.  He wasn’t really ignoring him though.  In fact, he’d typed the same sentence more than once because he couldn’t really focus knowing something was wrong and not knowing what it was.

 

“Whatcha workin’ on?” Will asked.

 

“New article on the myths of the Salem witch trials,” Mulder answered.

 

“Cool.”  Will nodded and ran his index finger along the side edge of Mulder’s desk.  “Can we go to Salem one day?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Cool.  Oh hey, I got a 95 on my vocab test.”

 

“What’d you miss?”

 

“Utmost versus upmost.”

 

“Thought you knew that one.”

 

“I did, until both sentences made total sense.

 

“You can’t ace ‘em all, pal.”

 

Will sighed.  “Ruined my streak though, which really pi...ticks me off.”

 

“Yeah, I hear ya.”

 

Will turned and ran his finger the opposite way along Mulder’s desk.  Missing a question or two on a test always annoyed Will, but Mulder knew that wasn’t the problem.  He typed some more and then studied his scribblings on one of his notepads.  

 

“So, um,” Will said.  “Sixth grade is kinda different.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yeah, you know, the different classes and stuff.  All the different teachers.”

 

“Sure.”  Mulder nodded, glanced at Will, and then flipped the page over on his notepad.  Now, they were getting somewhere.  Something to do with school, maybe a teacher, maybe a bully, but definitely school.

 

“And they do stuff, you know, like dances and stuff.”

 

_ Aha _ !  “Yeah, I remember those.”

 

“Do you?”

 

Mulder looked at Will over the top of his glasses.  “I’m not  _ that _ old, son.”

 

“I mean, I didn’t know you had dances in school.  You never said.”

 

“Guess I didn’t think about it.”

 

“Oh.”  Will chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, the same way his mother did when she was trying to formulate a thought.

 

Mulder itched to ask him to elaborate.  He missed the days when he could pull the boy onto his lap and tickle the trouble away.  Growing up was a bittersweet thing.  As much as he loved seeing his son mature, he also missed the silly, cuddly little toddler he once was.  And the days where the most complicated problem to solve was a broken crayon.

 

The conversation stalled, so Mulder took a chance.  “When is it?” he asked.

 

“When is what?”

 

“The dance.”

 

“Oh.  Um, next Friday.”

 

“Well, if you need me to sign a permission slip to attend, I’ll sign it.  As long as your homework’s done.”

 

“Da- _ ad _ .”  Will rolled his eyes a little.

 

“What?”

 

“I always do my homework.”

 

“I know you do.”

 

There was a lull in the conversation again, but Mulder felt more confident there was more to come and he wouldn’t have to prompt Will any further.  Sure enough, the silence that followed was short-lived.

 

“I’m gonna ask Lexi to go with me,” Will blurted out, his voice a little higher than normal.  

 

All things considered, Mulder’s first thought was that he deserved an award for keeping the expression on his face so neutral.  He was both laughing and crying inside, but he couldn’t let it show.  He bobbed his head a little awkwardly for a few moments and had to clear his throat before his voice would work.

 

“That’s great, buddy.”

 

“I mean, you know…”  Will dropped his eyes and scratched at the corner of Mulder’s desk.  “Some of the guys think it’s kind of lame.”

 

_ Cody Prescott, probably _ , Mulder thought.   _ With his fucking bowtie _ .  “Well, what do you think?” he asked.

 

Will chewed his lip again and Scully’s look of distress came over his face.  “It’s just that, I don’t know how to dance, you know?  I don’t want to look stupid and I don’t want Lexi to think I’m lame.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Maybe I shouldn’t go.”

 

“Come on, come with me.”  

 

Mulder pulled his glasses off, threw his notepad down on his desk and stood.  He put his hand on Will’s shoulder and steered him out the door towards the living room.  When he’d gone into his office that morning, Scully had been engrossed with something on her tablet as she lounged on the couch.  She was still there, still engrossed, but she looked up when Mulder and Will shuffled in.

 

“We need you,” Mulder said, holding his hand out to his wife and beckoning her up from the couch.

 

“I told you,” she said, batting his hand away.  “You’re on your own for lunch, I’ll broil the salmon for dinner.”

 

“It’s not about lunch.”

 

“Is this a trick?”  She shot a skeptical eyebrow up and looked from Mulder to Will.

 

Mulder grabbed her hand and gave it a tug.  “Get over here, Scully.”

 

Scully let Mulder pull her to her feet.  He locked their fingers together and held her hand up high by her shoulder before he set his other hand on her hip and walked her backwards, away from the couch.

 

“First lesson, Will,” Mulder said.  “Never look at your feet.  You look at your feet, it’s over.”

 

“What are we doing?” Scully asked.

 

“The boy wonder over there is in need of some dance lessons.”

 

“Why is he in need of dance lessons?”

 

“He has a dance to go to.”

 

“A  _ dance _ ?”  Scully tried to break free from Mulder, but he squeezed her hand and pulled her closer, shaking his head a little.

 

“Watch and learn, junior.”

 

Mulder swayed Scully slowly.  She was distracted, trying to look past him at Will, but he would purposefully shift and block her view.  Finally, he took his hand off her hip and brushed a curled finger under her chin to get her attention.

 

“Don’t look at your feet,” Mulder reiterated.  “Keep your eyes on your partner.  It’ll help you not to get tripped up and the view is much nicer.”

 

Scully rolled her eyes, but fortunately her back was to Will.  Mulder winked at him and danced them back away from the couch, then forward again.

 

“Your job is to lead and trust her to follow,” Mulder said, dancing them closer to Will.

 

Will had his bottom lip caught between his teeth, the tip of his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration as he watched his father’s feet.  His arm was slightly up, wrist tipped back and fingers spread and curved like he was holding an invisible hand.  He shuffled back and forth with small steps next to the couch, moving without going anywhere.  Mulder let go of Scully’s hip and turned her away from him.  When his arm cleared her head and she was facing Will, he released her hand and stepped away.

 

“Your turn, buddy,” Mulder said.

 

“What?” Will asked, blinking up at Mulder.

 

“Can’t learn without trying.  Dance with your mom.”

 

“Da- _ ad _ .”  Will’s cheeks darkened with embarrassment.

 

“Hey,” Scully said, putting her hand up for Will to take.  “I happen to be an excellent partner.”

 

“She is,” Mulder agreed.  “The best of the best.  How can you dance with Lexi if you can’t even dance with mom?”

 

“Lexi!”  Scully smiled broadly as Will ducked his head.  “Did you ask Lexi to the dance?”

 

“Yeah,” Will mumbled.  “You don’t have to make a big deal about it.”

 

“No one’s making a big deal about anything,” Mulder said, shaking his head at Scully in warning.  He took Will’s hand and put it on Scully’s hip and brought Scully’s hand to Will’s shoulder.  The boy was still slightly smaller than Scully by about two inches, but he had Mulder’s lankiness which implied he was going to shoot up soon. 

 

“Now what?”  Will’s arms were stiff and straight.  He was standing too far from Scully, but he looked wary of moving closer.

 

“Relax,” Mulder said, shaking Will’s arms from behind him to loosen him up.  When that didn’t work, he tickled his sides, which caused him to break apart and laugh.  He drew his arms into his sides to protect himself from the assault and Mulder hugged him from behind for a brief moment and patted his arms.

 

Scully cleared her throat, arms still in a dance frame.  “I believe I’m owed a dance here.”

 

Will put his hand back on Scully’s hip and laced his fingers with hers.  He was much more relaxed the second time around and not so stiff.

 

“Do I have to get all close and stuff?” Will asked. 

 

“No,” Mulder said.  “You can dance closer when you’re...taller.”

 

Scully chuckled.  

 

“Do I step forward or backward?” Will asked.

 

“Try forward to start with,” Mulder answered.  “Remember, look at your partner, not at your feet.  Lead with your eyes.  Be confident.”

 

Will hesitantly moved his feet, second-guessing every step he took.  Scully tried to follow his lead, but it didn’t work so well when he didn’t know where he was going.  They stepped on each other’s feet several times and Will kept apologizing, his cheeks growing pinker by the second.  

 

“I suck at this,” Will declared.

 

“It’s your first dance,” Mulder said.  “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

 

“You’re doing great,” Scully added, laughing when Will tripped into her before she even finished the compliment.

 

Will laughed along with Scully, giving up on letting his stumbles bother him.  They more they both laughed, the less he messed up.  He finally grinned when a full minute passed without him stepping on one of Scully’s feet.

 

“I think I can do it!” Will cried.

 

Mulder tapped on his son’s shoulder.  “May I cut in?” he asked.

 

“That means you want to dance with mom too, right?”

 

“Sure does.”

 

Wil stopped, but his brows came together as he let Scully’s hand go.  “If some guy asks if he can cut in and you don’t want him to, what do you say?”

 

“Depends on how good your aim is,” Mulder answered.

 

“Mulder!” Scully scolded, smacking him on the arm as he wrapped them around her waist.  She turned to Will even as she swayed in Mulder’s arms.  “The best thing to do would be to ask your partner if she minds.  Leave it up to her.”

 

“What if she says okay?”

 

“Cut back in on the next one,” Mulder said.  “Pray that the other guy has two left feet.”

 

“I’m gonna go practice.”  Will put his arms up and danced his way out of the room.

 

“Lexi?” Scully asked when Will was out of earshot.  “He asked her?  She said yes?”

 

“Seems so.”

 

“Hm.”  

 

“Something wrong?”

 

“Well, you know, I don’t want it to ruin their friendship.”

 

Mulder groaned.  “Where have I heard that argument before?”

 

“It’s important to think about.”

 

“It’s a school dance.  Besides, you know, Mulder men like the slow burn.  We only make moves every seven years.”

 

Scully tipped her head back and her brows lifted.  “Are you insinuating that  _ you _ made the first move?”

 

“You were just picking up on all the signals I was sending.”

 

“Sure.”

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

Scully moved a hand down to her abdomen and splayed her fingers over the small bump low on her belly that had only recently begun to show.  “Not as queasy as I was this morning.  The crackers helped.”

 

“Mm.”  Mulder put his hand over Scully’s and leaned down to rest his forehead against hers.

 

“I think we should tell Will after the next appointment.”

 

“That’s the ultrasound?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Don’t wait until this one’s ready for his or her first school dance to do this again, okay?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“It’s been awhile since we’ve done this.”

 

Mulder curled his fingers through Scully’s and brought her hand up to kiss the underside of her wrist.  She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes as they continued to dance.

 

The End


End file.
